STILL NEW YORK-HUNGRY

10. Nonno Aurelio's Gnocchi (Hi-Carb)

This recipe I found in Gennaro Contaldo's cook book Cucina Povera, in which Jamie Oliver's Mentor cooks recipes people in Italy cook since eons. Ingredients are cheap to get and recipes simple, nutritious & versatile.

Now!

As you know, my novel series' MMC Vince Romano's Nonna Stella has already left her culinary footprint in my hungry endeavors across the years.

We've had

"24. South Tirol Ricotta Bread" 
"41. Nonna Stella's Zuppa di Sedano (South Tirol Celery Soup)" 
"6. South Tirolean Pumpkin Cream Soup with Kräuterwurzn" 
"27. Papa's / Oma's (/Nonna's) Grießnockerln" 
"8. Nonna Stella's Spinatknödel (Hi-Carb)" .


As Vince's name hints at, (part of) his family's from Rome / Italy, namely Nonno Aurelio, his grandfather, who still rattles around the family restaurant in Little Italy (Manhattan) together with Stella, although one of their daughters, and her family,
have already overtaken it from them.

But no one makes the good stuff – pasta, pizza, dumplings, gnocchi – like Nonna and Nonno, right? They're the of the place and the family.

So now Nonno gets his first shot.

Oh no, gnocchi AGAIN!? I hear you groan. You're starting to repeat yourself.

Yeah, Detective, and you remembered that we've had not only above-mentioned Grießnockerln already, but also "39. Laura's Pumpkin Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Sauce " ... very nice!

BUT: these gnocchi are different from all others I've ever had... and that weren't few.

First, this recipe is OLD, guys... from before the potato – of which gnocchi are most commonly made now – was introduced to Italy in the 1560s.

It is also very nutritious, simple to make and because of the added butter + cheeses sates quickly. Without rolling around in your stomach like rocks!

Also for the under-carbed among us, like me, this is a great source for loads of healthy carbs, as semolina consists to 3/4 of carbs, but only

– 2 gr / 0.1 oz. are actual sugar (glucose)

– 7 gr / 0.25 oz. are fiber (which are CHs, too, btw.), and

– 67 gr / 2.4 oz. complex CH (= long chains of sugar molecules called starch the body must first split up before they go into the bloodstream as glucose).

This is the main source of carbs we need. Sugar's too... sugar, and fiber is good for our gut but can't be absorbed – and used! – by the body to generate energy for the metabolism.

All of the mentioned relates to the reference quantity of 100 gr / 3.5 oz., which is used in Germany. So when you eat double, double the benefit.

The Old Romans might not have known that, but already they ate these, Dudes – and they weren't diabese – only the rich among them. Yes, diabetes and obesity once were only the illnesses of the rich.

Okay, before you lose your appatite, Head Teacher Mode out!

Let's rather go to the kitchen with Nonno, make a little mess, get a little upper arm workout and have some fruity Puglia while listening to him telling stories from home.

Listen to the Old Man! Sometimes not only Nonna knows best.




Serves: 40-50 gnocchi The more, the smaller you make 'em.

Prep Time: 1 hr 45 min - 2 hrs

Degree of Difficulty: Easy




WE NEED Attention! Recipe very sustainable Half of it would've done, too. I keep the original measures, though.

TIP: don't refrigerate remaining dough! Rather use it up and freeze remaining gnocchi It was rather disgusting to use up the remaining dough 2 days later. It wasn't bad, only hard to shape because it was even stickier than when freshly made.

1 l / 1 US Quart (2 pints) milk Full-fat, or 3.8% – it shall taste, amici!
80 gr / 2.8 oz. butter
7 gr / 0.25 oz. sea salt
pinch of grated nutmeg
250 gr / 8.8 oz. semolina
2 egg yolks From organic, M-sized eggs, if you can

100 gr / 3.5 oz. parmesan Hand-grated, and – naturalmente! Parmegiano Reggiano. This is a so-called protected origin which makes sure you get real cheese, from the specific region in Italy, and not the industrially produced rubbish the food industry and supermarkets sell you as parmesan.

40 gr / 1.5 oz. Pecorino Romano See above.



WE DO


0. Grate parmesan + pecorino. See ingredients above.


1. Put milk, 30 gr / 1 oz. butter, salt & nutmeg into a non-stick saucepan and bring it to the boil on medium heat. Gradually whisk in the semolina until its well-combined. No lumps. Continue to beat with a wooden spoon over low heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thick. When it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove it from the heat and stir in egg yolks + parmesan.


2. Lay a piece of baking paper on the work surface, pour the mixture on it and spread it out about 1/2 in thick using a wet spatula. It's a sticky bugger, for sure. Leave it to cool + set.




3. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F fan OR 200°C / 390°F top-/bottom heat OR gas 6 and grease an oven-proof dish with butter.


4. With a 5 cm / 2 in. cookies cutter cut out discs of the cooled semolina mix. Arrange them in a single layer in the prepared dish so that they're slightly overlapping. Melt the remaining butter, pour it over the gnocchi and sprinkle with the pecorino.


5. Bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes OR until golden-brown. Since every oven is individual it can take longer / shorter.




6. Remove them from the oven and immediately


7. SERVE.


Buon Appetito, Amici!